Can I Cook Frozen Corned Beef in the Slow Cooker?

Emma Christensen
Emma Christensen
Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories
updated May 2, 2019
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Q: I have a frozen corned beef still in its package. It has been frozen one year. Can I cook it frozen in a slow cooker and if so how long? Should all vegetables be added at this time? Or should it thaw first? I am cooking cabbage separately.

Sent by Pennie

Editor: From everything I’ve read, it’s not safe to cook frozen foods in the slow cooker because there’s a risk of harmful bacteria contaminating the meat before it reaches temperature. However, as long as your corned beef was well-packaged and hasn’t developed freezer burn, it should still be safe to eat! I would recommend thawing it completely in the refrigerator and then cooking it in the slow cooker for 8 to 10 hours on LOW. Here’s a little more about our own slow-cooker corned beef experiments:

Readers, what do you recommend?

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Beef
Ingredient
Meat